The first day of fall camp is in the books for the Louisville football team.
On the surface it was unlike anything the program has ever gone through. A practice in the middle of a health pandemic, which saw players and coaches decked out in face coverings as its latest equipment addition. Extra precautions have been put in for every football team across the country to stop a potential spread of COVID-19.
But as Louisville and every other team prepare for the 2020 season, at some point the on-field performances become important as well. When it comes to the actual practice, head coach Scott Satterfield said he was impressed. Louisville’s first day of fall camp ran smoothly, the second-year head coach said.
That didn’t surprise him though.
Teams were given two weeks of walkthroughs to use before going into fall camp. Louisville used those for part of its playbook install, hoping to get the team up to speed before fall camp. Those two weeks ended up being extremely beneficial, to the point that Satterfield wasn’t even surprised by how well the team practiced on Tuesday.
More: Four ways Louisville football is keeping its players safe during fall camp
"The last two weeks having those walkthrough practices helped a lot mentally,” Satterfield said. “You feel like on the first day, you’re really trying to coach the mental aspect of it but having those two weeks prior to practice were tremendous. Today was a lot smoother because of that, in all three phases.”
Most would expect football programs to be behind after being forced to take three months off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some programs had even more time off because they didn’t have a spring practice session.
Louisville isn't far behind, Satterfield said.
Part of that is because of how the team returned from its shutdown in June. The first phase of players, the starters and key role players, returned this summer in great shape in early June. After having to do workouts and conditioning alone, at home, Satterfield was surprised and pleased with how the first 40 players returned.
"Our top 40 guys did an outstanding job. They are where they need to be,” Satterfield said.
Still there’s room to improve, as the rest of the roster wasn’t up to the same level as the first group brought in.
"The next 40 to 50 guys, that’s where we have to get better,” Satterfield said. “That’s the depth and newcomers who aren’t experienced with what practice is like and all of that. The top 40 guys are right where they need to be. … I’m pleased where we are right now with everything that has been going on the last three or four months.”
Another reason for Louisville’s smooth start is the experience it returns. The Cardinals bring back 10 players on offense including their starting quarterback, running back, top two receivers and three offensive linemen. They return nine starters on defense including nearly their entire secondary and a talented linebacker corps.
It’s to the point now where Satterfield told the offense Tuesday that it will be picking the tempo up during camp. Last year, Satterfield and the staff had to slowly bring along the team as it adjusted to the new scheme and the effort they demanded from the players.
Not anymore.
"Coach mentioned it today and said last year around this time he had to take baby steps with us. It’s not like that anymore. We are picking up the tempo and we have to think on the run,” quarterback Micale Cunningham said.
Louisville is considered a team capable of making a run to the ACC championship game. Along with Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Miami, it’s one of the most talented rosters in the conference, led by the offense.
Also: 3 big questions Louisville football is looking to answer as fall camp begins
But that wasn’t a thought or discussion at practice on Tuesday. More than anything, Cunningham said the team was just happy to be together again, even if there’s a pandemic they have to work through.
"It wasn’t very different, but just felt good to get back out there with the guys,” Cunningham said. “It was just good to get back out there as a whole.”
Cameron Teague Robinson CTeagueRob@gannett.com; Twitter: @cj_teague; Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.
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August 05, 2020 at 04:12AM
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First day of fall camp is a smooth one for Louisville football amid COVID-19 pandemic - Courier Journal
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